ANALYZING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
POLITICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM SCRIPT VERIFIED
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED
APLUS
●● What is natural rights theory?
Answer: It states that all people are born with rights to life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness.
●● What does popular sovereignty mean?
Answer: Governments only have legitimacy if they are based on the
consent of the governed.
●● What does the Constitution create to prevent tyranny?
Answer: A system of limited government with divided and restricted
powers.
●● How does the Constitution reflect democracy?
Answer: Through rule of law and elections for Congress and the
president.
,●● What is the role of the Bill of Rights?
Answer: To protect individual rights.
●● What is representative democracy?
Answer: A system where citizens elect officials to make decisions on
their behalf.
●● How does Congress exemplify representative democracy?
Answer: Elected representatives and senators create and vote on laws
based on constituents' interests.
●● What was the Federalist view on central government?
Answer: They supported a strong national government to maintain order
and stability.
●● Who were key Federalist figures?
Answer: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.
●● What did Anti-Federalists fear about a strong national government?
Answer: They feared it would threaten individual and state rights.
●● What was the main concern of Anti-Federalists?
Answer: That democracy works best with power closer to the people.
, ●● What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
Answer: No power to tax, no national executive, no national court
system, and no ability to regulate commerce.
●● What did Shays' Rebellion demonstrate?
Answer: The government couldn't maintain order under the Articles of
Confederation.
●● What was the Great Compromise?
Answer: It created a bicameral legislature with the House based on
population and the Senate with equal representation.
●● What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?
Answer: Enslaved people were counted as three-fifths of a person for
representation and taxation.
●● What is separation of powers?
Answer: The division of government into legislative, executive, and
judicial branches.
●● What is checks and balances?
Answer: A system that allows each branch to limit the power of the
others.
POLITICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM SCRIPT VERIFIED
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED
APLUS
●● What is natural rights theory?
Answer: It states that all people are born with rights to life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness.
●● What does popular sovereignty mean?
Answer: Governments only have legitimacy if they are based on the
consent of the governed.
●● What does the Constitution create to prevent tyranny?
Answer: A system of limited government with divided and restricted
powers.
●● How does the Constitution reflect democracy?
Answer: Through rule of law and elections for Congress and the
president.
,●● What is the role of the Bill of Rights?
Answer: To protect individual rights.
●● What is representative democracy?
Answer: A system where citizens elect officials to make decisions on
their behalf.
●● How does Congress exemplify representative democracy?
Answer: Elected representatives and senators create and vote on laws
based on constituents' interests.
●● What was the Federalist view on central government?
Answer: They supported a strong national government to maintain order
and stability.
●● Who were key Federalist figures?
Answer: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.
●● What did Anti-Federalists fear about a strong national government?
Answer: They feared it would threaten individual and state rights.
●● What was the main concern of Anti-Federalists?
Answer: That democracy works best with power closer to the people.
, ●● What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
Answer: No power to tax, no national executive, no national court
system, and no ability to regulate commerce.
●● What did Shays' Rebellion demonstrate?
Answer: The government couldn't maintain order under the Articles of
Confederation.
●● What was the Great Compromise?
Answer: It created a bicameral legislature with the House based on
population and the Senate with equal representation.
●● What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?
Answer: Enslaved people were counted as three-fifths of a person for
representation and taxation.
●● What is separation of powers?
Answer: The division of government into legislative, executive, and
judicial branches.
●● What is checks and balances?
Answer: A system that allows each branch to limit the power of the
others.
